Heart valve rotator

Abstract

A universal rotator for heart valve prothesis is provided including a heart valve rotator body having a handle portion that extends in a direction remote from a polycarbonate plastic rotator. The rotator body is suitably joined to the end of the handle and includes a transverse slot with semi-circular wedge-shaped extensions adapted to engage a mitral heart valve and an aortic heart valve for rotation. The rotator is used to spin a subassembly of a heart valve within a sewing cuff and locking ring to a more favorable position. The rotator can be used with both sides of the heart valve corresponding to either the mitral or aortic positions. The universal heart valve rotator for bileaflet mechanical heart prostheses can be used to rotate both mitral and aortic valves with a single instrument. The rotation instrument can be used to rotate a bileaflet mechanical heart valve prosthesis subassembly relative to a suture ring without substantial contact with the leaflets and to permit the leaflets to be fully examined between multiple use with the rotator.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. A universal heart valve rotator comprising a body including a handle portion that extends in a direction remote from a plastic rotator portion, fastening means configured to join an end of said handle portion in complementary relationship with said rotator portion, said rotator portion having semi-circular wedge-shaped extensions for engaging against substantially parallel, non-annular inner wall surfaces of either an inflow or outflow side of an orifice ring of a bileaflet heart valve for rotating movement of the heart valve without any contact between the head and the heart valve leaflets. 
     
     
       2. The universal heart valve rotator according to claim 1, in which said semi-circular wedge-shaped extensions are sized and configured to be used directly against an orifice ring of a bileaflet heart valve to rotate said orifice relative to a suture ring without any substantial contact against the heart valve leaflets. 
     
     
       3. The universal heart valve rotator according to claim 1, in which said fastening means between handle portion and rotator portion are directly complementary joinder portions. 
     
     
       4. The universal heart valve rotator according to claim 3, in which the rotator portion being threadably connected to said handle portion has a generally cylindrical shaped head and said rotator portion directly by threaded portions complementary to each other. 
     
     
       5. The universal heart valve rotator according to claim 1, in which said handle portion and said rotator portion are integral. 
     
     
       6. The universal heart valve rotator according to claim 4, in which said plastic rotator portion has a generally rectangular shaped diametrical groove formed therein said groove extends transversely and having a depth for mitral leaflet clearance. 
     
     
       7. The universal heart valve rotator according to claim 6, in which said rectangular shaped groove and a recessed outer periphery of said rotator portion having a depth to allow for a clearance fit for an orifice ring. 
     
     
       8. The universal heart valve rotator according to claim 7, in which said semi-circular wedge-shaped extensions have end surfaces, said end surfaces provide a clearance fit for an orifice of an orifice ring of a bileaflet heart valve. 
     
     
       9. The universal heart valve rotator according to claim 5, in which said handle portion and said rotator portion are of solid plastic material. 
     
     
       10. The universal heart valve rotator according to claim 9, in which said handle portion is flexably deformable.